Bangladesh Navy Inducts RQ-21A Blackjack UAVs

Reading Time: 3 minutes The Bangladesh Navy has formally received a consignment of RQ-21A Blackjack small tactical unmanned aircraft systems (STUAS), joining the Bangladesh Army as the second operator of the Boeing-Insitu-made platform. The transfer, part of a broader US Indo-Pacific Strategy initiative, marks a new phase in Dhaka’s defence modernisation programme and highlights growing defence cooperation between Bangladesh and the United States. The RQ-21A is a runway-independent, tactical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) asset optimised for expeditionary operations across land and maritime domains. Developed by Insitu Inc., a Boeing subsidiary, the Blackjack was originally fielded by the US Navy and Marine Corps and has since been exported to a limited number of partner nations. With this acquisition, Bangladesh becomes one of the few South Asian states to operate a tactical UAV system of this class. Each RQ-21A system comprises five air vehicles, two ground control stations, a pneumatic launcher,